MORE STORAGE!

This story begins last January when with heavy wind and rains, there was a leak from the chimney that became apparent with caving in of the ceiling over the fireplace. One more thing to worry about.

I got a quote from Monsieur Belmas, the village’s premier contractor, to tear down the chimney, repair the leak, replace the roof and remove the fireplace on the main level. After all, it wasn’t a functional fireplace. An electric heater was put in its place that I never used (except early on to dry laundry). It was all supposed to happen in March but given the pandemic, Monsieur Belmas and his team didn’t arrive until early July to do the job. Thankfully the leak didn’t cause more damage in the six months I had to wait, but it’s all history now.

I decided to use this space for more storage. These older houses don’t have closets, hence the use of armoires. But even still, I had very limited storage space for things like linens. Some of the table linens are in drawers within my dining table. Otherwise, I have bed linens in storage containers in the basement. So I figured this would be a good remedy and drawers would be constructed to complement the bookshelves installed last summer.

My friends Bernard & Gayle are professionally historians, both with PhDs. But they are both very handy and undertaking their own renovations on their home in Carcassonne. Bernard offered to install the storage drawers. I was (and remain) very grateful!

Next was to put in drywall. Philippe, a local plaquiste (professionally a painter who also installs drywall) was engaged by Monsieur Belmas for this task. It took him a day to install the steel frame and drywall. He returned two more days to seal the joints. I was impressed.

Bernard steered me to LeRoy Merlin, the French version of Home Depot just outside of Toulouse. I ordered the kits and waited two weeks for them to arrive. Unfortunately the order was incomplete so we had to wait another two weeks for the additional materials. In the meantime, I first painted the cement to contain the dust then gave the drywall a coat of primer and two further coats of paint.

The second order arrived Thursday so I made a beeline to Toulouse to pick it up. Today Gayle & Bernard came over and within about two hours, the installation was completed. Here is the finished product.

I was also having a problem with a leak from the sink. There was no seal with the countertop and it appears there may have also been a leak in the pipes. Bernard suggested I buy a new sink with a built-in drainboard which he installed as well. I’m living high and very grateful for my friends!

Next will be new flooring and carpet for the staircase. Due to scheduling, it may not happen until late October/early November. But progress is being made. Stay tuned.